Kyiv & Chernobyl

Ukraine, while it can show up in the media and in shows regarding negative news or something related to the infamous Chernobyl explosion, it isn’t always seen as a top place to visit. And while my trip there was short, and of course involved a day trip to Chernobyl, what Ukraine (specifically Kiev) has to offer is definitely something worth noting.

When I first landed in Kiev, I didn’t know what to expect nor had any clue how to get to my Airbnb. Luckily they have good public service connections, making it easy for you to get from the airport into downtown on a bus for an affordable cost. The easiest way to get into town is taking SkyBus 322. This connects the airport to the central train station, where there is a metro line. Locating the bus at the airport is quite easy, just need to follow the signs for ground transportation and look for the purple bus in the arrival section of terminal D. The other option you can do is taking a train. When I was there I wasn’t able to take it since it wasn’t operating, but if you want to give it a go follow the signs for the train when you exit the terminal. You can purchase your ticket at a kiosk near to the train terminal. Once in the city, it is quite well connected with metros and public buses. And if you are up for walking, it is definitely a walkable city (though some things are located at a further distance than others).

The metros are quite easy to find, just look for a M. And it’s colour coordinated based off the line. Thanks to them hosting the Euro Cup in 2012, you can find English translation on the metro (which is definitely needed when it comes to reading some of the stops. When you need to get a ticket getting a day pass is the best option. This is because getting around via metro is the easiest way to move about the city. At the time of writing this they cost about $0.29 (€0.24, £0.21). The different metro stations are also super cool to go through, some of them feel like your back in the Soviet Union.

When it comes to where to stay that is a personal preference. But my friend and I decided on a nice Airbnb, in the more suburb part of town. It was located next to a metro station and close to a grocery store, it was also in relatively close distance to the old part of town. But there are some nice hotels located in the city centre that are available for a reasonable price. Overall though, if you aren’t going to stay in the centre of town, any place that is near a metro stop is a good shout.

Once you finally settled into the city, figuring out what to see can be an adventure. For my friend and I one of the days we decided to take a Chernobyl tour. Which is a full day trip to zone 1 or the explosion zone. For anyone luckily enough to make it out to Ukraine, personally I think this is a must-see trip. Not only is it an interesting experience, but you learn so much about the area, Pripyat, and the what went down when melted down occurred (I’ll discuss the trip in more detail later). Apart from that trip, we had no clue what to see or do. So, while we thought about researching what are must sees in Kiev, we decided to partially wing it and just explore around the city. We mainly stuck to the city centre. From our experience and some recommendations from a fellow Peace Corps Volunteer living there, these were some of the most important, noteworthy places, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Cave Monastery, Rodina Mat, St. Andrews Church, Saint Michael’s Monastery, The Golden Gate, Independence Plaza, and Saint Sophia’s Cathedral. We walked through a pop up market on Andriivs’kyi Descent street (which is the street running alongside St. Andrew’s Cathedral), it offers a variety of things.

Since we visited the centre on a Sunday we were luckily enough to go and see an orthodox mass at Saint Michael’s Monastery. We still don’t fully understand what was happening during the mass, but it was interesting to see, as was seeing the architecture and relics.

In that same area there is the Lavra bell tower, which you can pay a small fee for and go up and visit it. It gave a nice view of the city.

We did not see what the monastery has to offer, but there is the cathedral and also has a cave system built within it.

After visiting that area we ventured to Independence square, which has a lot of history itself, including around the protests that occurred within modern historic times. It also has a mall next to it and a channel of shops located underneath it. So if you are wanting to do some shopping or hit up a grocery store in town, it’s not a bad place to check out. Another short walk from there is the Motherland Monument, which is WWII monument. It also provides a lovely view of the city.

On our second day in Kiev we decided to go on a trip to Chernobyl. After much research we decided to go with Chernobyl Tour, though really any company is going to be a good option, and pricing will all be about the same. And while we had an amazing tour and was a small group of about 10 people, I would still recommend trying to arrange a private tour if you can afford it. That way you cut out the places you aren’t interested in seeing and can spend more time in the ones you are. The trip we took included several stops throughout the 3 zones, and it was super informative on both what occurred and what has been happening in the area ever since the explosion. And I honestly can say, prior to going I did not know nearly enough about the situation, apart from the name of the plant and how there was an abandoned town nearby. Being that we went in the middle of winter we experienced a walking around on frozen or snowy ground, which added to the experience. Though highly recommend making sure you have the right shoes if you do go in the dead of winter, as it is quite easy to fall.

When we arrived we had to pass several checkpoints, each for entrance into each zone within the Exclusion zone. The third zone was the quickest, as this zone is deemed safe enough for people to start living in again. Zone 2 is where we visited Chornobyl town, saw one of only 2 Lenin statues still left standing, and had lunch in. In this zone they have set up base for those working in the most radioactive zone, Zone 1. However, due to danger levels those living in this zone can only remain for a few days a time. As we entered into zone 1, which is the most protected, the morphed from super quiet into eerily quite. We drove past abandoned homes and even when we were visiting Prypyat, our interactions with other tour groups was very limited. We made a stop at the Duga radar, which is an old abandoned antenna hidden in the forest near Chernobyl, that was created durning the Cold War.

After a short stop there, we headed over to the nuclear power plant, where the explosion happened at. Don’t worry, they don’t let you get too close. But we did step out to see the massive dome that they have created around it. The next was the most anticipated part of the trip, which was visiting Prypyat city.

We were fortunate enough to visit several areas within the city. We saw the gask mask room within the school, visited the old gym/pool area, checked out the “amusement” park with the Ferris wheel and bumper cars, walked to the grocery store and movie theatre, and ended our tour near the cafe on the water.

Throughout the tour we learned about the life of those living in Prypyat, as well as what had happened to the area after it was evacuated. All around you would see stray dogs, as well as wild horses and wolves, who had started to returned the area.

We learned about the level of radiation that existed in the area and how it was stronger where there was water. And about how the hospital is one the highest levels of radiation due to all the firemans’ suits being thrown into a pile and just left there. After a full day of exploring, it was time to head out, but first we had to pass through two radiation check points to make sure we were clear and wipe our feet to ensure we did track anything back with us. It was slightly worrying when we walked through the machines, but even with that being said, I still think it was worth the trip! I would without a doubt recommend it to anyone wishing to try something different or wanting to learn some history from the area.

If that doesn’t convince you as to why you should check out Ukraine/Kiev, another must do is to eat your way through the city. There is so much amazing food from the traditional chicken Kiev, to cute cafes, and coffee stalls on every block so for anyone who likes eating there’s endless possibilities, and all within a reasonable price.

And if you get tired of Ukrainian food or want to try something else, being so close to places like Georgia, they even have restaurants that serve Georgian food, which is just as amazing. I personally would recommend you trying out these places for food, Tsarske Selo, Chicekn Kyiv, or Mitla (though definitely you can’t go wrong on any of the places you stumble across). As for what to eat, I recommend trying borscht (beetroot soup), Golubsti (cabbage rolls), Deruni (Potato Panackes), Chicken Kyiv, Varenyky (like a dumpling) to fully get an appreciation of the food they have (And I’m sure I just barely touched the surface).

Overall, for the price, experience, and relatively ease that a trip to Kiev offers, it should definitely be on the top of your list if your seeking something that’s off the beaten path but isn’t going to be too stressful nor too far out of reach.